At Long Last
by JoanNeko13
Summary: a slash fic set in the movieverse. had to write it for a creative writing class, figured i'd post it here
Rating: General Audiences

Fandom: The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien)

Movieverse/Slash AU

At Long Last

It was a fine day in the Shire. The sun was shining, birds were singing, flowers were blooming, and Samwise Gamgee was marrying Rosie Cotton. It was a long time coming; for years Sam had been tiptoeing around his feelings and all the time Rosie had been waiting patiently. Even when he left for over a year, even when some believed him dead, Rosie waited; knowing one day she and Sam would be married. It only took a yearlong perilous journey with its fair share of near death experiences for Sam to finally work up the courage to bare his feelings and ask Rosie for her hand. And now, as the couple held hands, proclaiming their vows, everyone looked on with smiles on their faces. It was at that moment that, at long last, the hobbits of the Fellowship felt things would truly be all right.

Now the ceremony was done, the bride had been kissed, the rice had been thrown and the bouquet had been caught, and caught by Peregrin Took no less. Everybody laughed it off, for they knew the Took and his antics well, and this was precisely the sort of thing that would happen to him. And while on the outside Pippin laughed along with the others, on the inside he was having a bit of a crisis.

Let's go back a bit, shall we?

As some of you may know, a while back four hobbits left the Shire on a quest to help save Middle Earth. To sum things up, friends were made, battles were fought, and a ring was destroyed. It should surprise no one that a journey as hazardous and trying as theirs would bring about changes and realizations. In Pippin's case not much had changed, after a while he and Merry would still get into their antics, and he found his heart could be light and hopeful once more; but he did have a realization.

At the end of the Battle of Gondor Pippin found himself desperately searching for his best friend, Merry, among the fallen. Every minute that passed was torture and Pippin's desperation grew and grew. His thoughts wandered and many horrible possibilities crossed his mind; chief among those: "What if he's dead?" This thought froze the Took to his core. For a moment time stopped and a world without Merry flashed through his mind; and it was heart wrenching. Pippin redoubled his efforts, for he'd be lost without Merry, and, finally, after hours of searching and calling out his name, there he was. He lay on the ground, a corpse on top of him, and unconscious; Pip feared the worst. He rushed to him, pushing the corpse off of his body, and taking Merry into his arms.

"Merry," Pip said, trying to wake his friend. Merry's eyes opened, "Merry, it's me. It's Pippin." Pip looked at Merry with worry and love shining in his eyes.

It was with some effort that Merry managed to say, "I…knew…you'd…find me."

"Yes."

"Are…you going…to leave me?" Merry wondered.

"No, Merry," Pip whispered back, "I'm going to look after you."

Back in the present, still holding the bouquet, Pippin thought back to that day, and the following days, watching over Merry, and staying by his side throughout his recovery. He'd suspected his feelings for Merry went beyond simple friendship before, but those days confirmed it. Pip knew he wanted more, to go beyond friendship, with Merry. The question now was: should he tell him?

He'd been mulling it over for months, working up the courage to tell him and losing his resolve whenever an opportunity arose. It wasn't that a relationship between two men was impossible, certainly not. It's just that Pip had absolutely no idea where Merry stood on the matter. What if he told him and he didn't return his feelings? Would that make things awkward from then on? The last thing Pippin wanted was to ruin what they already had. And what if he was horrified? What could Pippin do then?

"You alright Pip?"

Pip jumped, startled by Merry behind him. "I…well…um…you see…" Pip stammered, caught off guard. Merry was looking at him with concern in his eyes. Pip took a deep breath and said, "I'm fine, Merry. I was just thinking, is all."

"Well don't think too hard; you'll get a headache." Merry joked, a wide grin on his face. "C'mon then, we'll miss the party."

With that Merry grabbed Pip by the arm and dragged him off to where the others were already dancing and eating and having a jolly good time.

"Let's get some food. I'm starving." Merry walked of towards the table and Pip gladly followed, hungry himself and always glad of Merry's company.

A few hours had passed and most hobbits had gone home to their warm beds. Only a handful remained, including Pip and Merry. They'd had a great time, dancing and singing and eating; always glad to entertain others and keep the party lively. Now they sat next to each other, backs against a large old oak, pipes out and smoking Old Toby, best pipe-weed in the Shire.

Sitting there, with Merry leaning slightly against him, Pip felt at home. Food and fun and pipe-weed had all worked together to lull the two hobbits into the most relaxed of states; and Pip decided it was now or never. After taking a few more puffs of Old Toby he began,

"Merry. There's something I have to tell you."

"What is it Pip?" Merry asked, lifting his head off of Pippin's shoulder to get a better look at him.

"I've been trying to tell you this for weeks now. Months even. I always stop myself when I have a chance. It's really quite hard for me. I'm not sure how to say it. But I have to say it. I can't keep it to myself anymore. Please don't interrupt; I need to get it out. You don't have to say anything back. It's really just to get it off my chest. If you want we can forget it ever happened, but it has to happen. Merry, I—mfph"

Pippin's rambling was silenced quite abruptly…by Merry's kiss. It was gentle and rough at the same time and Pip sat there frozen unsure of what was happening. Merry kept his lips against Pip's, waiting patiently, and finally, after a few seconds, Pippin finally responded. It was a sweet kiss, loving and tender and it had both hobbits feeling quite aflutter. Pippin was the first to break off,

"What was that?" Pip questioned, a little breathless.

"That, my dear Pippin, was a kiss," Merry cheekily replied, breathless himself.

"I know it was a kiss, Merry. I just meant…why? Where did that come from? How did you know?"

"Pip, I've known you forever. Been getting you in trouble since we were tweens. I noticed from the beginning, but I wanted you to be ready; to make the first move. But honestly, you were taking so long, just rambling on. I had to stop you somehow. Figured that was the best way for both of us."

Merry was grinning from ear to ear, quite proud of himself. Pip could do little more than look at him, feeling equally bewildered and excited. He knew. He knew and he was okay with it. More than okay. He felt the same. Pip was beaming and he couldn't stop himself from saying,

"I love you, Merry."

Merry just smiled, kissed him once more, and breaking away leaned back against Pip before saying, "I love you, too Pip. I love you, too."


End file.
